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The fashion industry is welcoming back its favourite prodigal son after Tom Ford announced his return to the world of design. The former Gucci boss, who left the Italian label last year to make movies, is launching a new company under his own name.
Having reunited with business partner Domenico De Sole, the style guru has announced a collaboration with cosmetics giant Estee Lauder to produce a range of beauty products. And the duo promise that Tom Ford, the company, will follow up with an independent line of fragrances and then a ready-to-wear collection. "I'm inching towards a return to fashion," revealed the 43-year-old, who will be president and CEO of the firm.
Domenico, who will act as chairman, meanwhile confirms they are setting their sights high. "These are the first steps in a bigger plan," he revealed. "We'll be doing very specialised products and are thinking through more licenses and the possibility of directly-owned stand-alone stores. The brand is going to be very high-end - all of the products will be positioned at the level of Chanel and Hermes. We want to create the first, true luxury brand of this century – we're going to make this very big."
Those who were looking forward to seeing Tom's work on the big screen needn't worry, because he's still very serious about directing. Indeed the only people likely to be feeling uneasy about his fashion world comeback are the competition: Sales of Gucci went up by over 1,000 per cent during his years with the company. |
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